Electric iron-ore-smelting furnace



I. D.SH1PT0N. ELECTRIC IRON URE SII'IELT'ING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22| I'9I9.

1,338,103. y Patented Apr. 27, 19,20.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS WITNESS:

ELECTRIC IRON ORE /SMELTING FURNACE.

l.APPLICNI'ION FlLED SEPT. 22. 1919.

Patented Api. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2z .usf

' ATTORNEY.;`

' iremos.

JAMES D. SHPTN, 0F VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

Application filed September 22, 1319.

Be it known that I, .Linus D. brrlrron, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada., residing at Vancouver.. in the lrovinceoi' British Columbia', Canada, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in. Electric Iron-Cre-Smelting Furnaces, o'l which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an electric 'fur nace which has been particularly designed to smelt refractory ferrous ores and provide a means for blending' the output from a series of separate smelting chambers in a uni- 'fied delivery whereby a more uniform grade of metal may be obtained from possibly variable ore charges and with an economicil application of current and olY the heat gen erated therefrom.

These objects are obtained by arranging a series or separately operable electric furnaces concentrically around a common mixirng,T chamber into which each furnace chamber may separately deliver its molten metal charge and from which the massed charge may be drawn for castinrr into pigs or otherwise, as required. The smelting` furnace chambers and the common mixing` chamber are combined within a unit structure whereby the heat and operating' expenses are conserved. The wasteheat /from the smeltingr operations is utilized to heat the ore prior to delivery into the furnace chambers and to heat the air by which the furnace gases are diluted.

The invention is particularly described in the following speciiication, reference be ing` made to the drawings by which itis acconu'ianicd` in which:

Figure 1 is an incomplete plan and part horizontal section of the furnace.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a. vertical cross section of one of the furnace chambers on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, and

Fig. fl is a diagram showing' the three phase delta connection of the serving current to the carbon electrodes.

The furnace comprises a circular chamber 2 built of nre-brick or the like refractory material, the bottom et which chamber is slightly above the pig,` casting` loor S that Patented Apr.. o i,

{bl/U Serial No. 325,376.

the metal may flow thereto `through a tap hole 4 to be referred to later. Around this circular chamber 2 is built a ring or sepa rate smelling` chambers 5, the bottoms of which are at such height above that or". the central chamber that they -vmay be separati-Bly tapped into the central or mixing chamber The walls of these smeltin` chambers are parallel to their radial middle lines, so that a triangular segmental space 6 is formed between each pair ot cha'nbers rl`he carbon electrodes 7 and S are introduced through thc arched roof ot the furnace in the radial middle line and. are eleclrically connected on the three phase delta.

system.

Ore is fed to the several chambers 5 throrurh chutes from a central cone hopper l0 which forms an upward extension from the circular mixingy chamber 2. it the delivery ot the ore chute 9 into the furnace a curtain wall projects downward below the 'arbon ends which wall is arched at the lower end.

The roof olV` cach l'urnace has an air space `ll to which a current o' cold air is delivered at l2, and after travcrsing l the roei? of the l'urnacc, which it prevents bciifoniing excessively heated. thc hcatcd air is delivered into an annular chamber or wind box i3 'from which twycrs l-l deliver it into the several furnace chambers at thc approximate lcvel oi the orc delivery but on the opposite side. The delivery of this air d1- lu'tes thc rases 2generated from the orc and ailiords a better conducting' atmosphere.

rlhe products oi combustion are .vithdrawn through the ore delivery chute to which a connection is made at l5 to the suction oro a lian blast or the like.

From the bottom oic each i'urnacc chamber a tapping outlet 1G delivers into the outcr end ol! a duct 1T which slopes backward bcneath each chamber 5 and delivers into the cent fal mixing` chamber 2. The ring of fui'- naces 5 is carried on an arched gallery i8 across beneath which the molten metal is conducted in a laundcr to the casting iloor 3.

The segmental spaces G between the 'furnace chan'ibere .ay be charged with black sand, when such is being' reduced in the turnaces, or with the fine dust of any ordinary ore. These will absorb the heat which passes t rough the furnace walls and become highly heated prior to delivery to the furnace.

The advantages of this construction of furnaces are, that a number of smelting units, each complete in itself, are built around a mixing chamber which is common to all, and the molten charges of the eral furnaces may be tapped into the common mixing chamber, and a more uniform grade of metal output is thus obtainabie,

any littlevariation, intentional or unavoich able, of the ore used in the several furnaces being merged in the total.

, The furnace as a whole has also the advantage of economy in the construction of it, and in the association with the other furnaces and with the smelting chamber, there is economy in the head used, the Valls beingcontiguous and where possible jacketed with air or with ore, both of which are used in the furnaces.

By arrangingr the separate smelting furnaces as I have done around a central mixing chamber, and serving them with current 'on the three phase delta system, I am enabled to increase the gross output of the furnace without increasing the amount of current necessary to produce that output. and can use a current up to the limit of voltage it is safe to handle, say a thousand volts.

The carbon electrodes being connected on the three phase delta system with a suitable number of furnaces according` to the voltage. to be used in each phase of the connection, this number can be varied at will to suit the voltage which the nature of the charge may require in each furnace, by cutting out or in one or two furnaces as required.

Thus in the drawing herewith four furnaces are shown in each phase 'of the circuit: While starting, one furnace of cach group may be practically cut out by lowering the carbon electrodes into contact with the charge, the short eircuiting through which charge will proportionately increase the voltage in the three remaining furnaces. As

soon as the charges in these three furnaces are raised to incandescence and less voltage is required, the carbons of the short circuitving furnace are withdrawn from contact with the chargeto their proper arcing position during the residue of the heat.

'Having new particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what l claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

l. An electrical iron' smelting furnace,

.comprising a series of electrical sm .lting lcharribers disposed around a central mixing chamber, .means for deli ore sepa rately to each smelt ng chamber, means tapping the molten metal from each smelting chan'iher :nd for dclivcrifv' l chambers being parallel r the space between the ,la/1:1

resales central, mixing chamber, and

ping the central mixing cl [in electrical iron sn;

comprising a series et eh'x chambers disposed around a chamber with an ore hearingy t 1 pairof smelting ch i ing ore separately inher, means for tape i arately from s and for delire kf renacer.. and ineens i o' central mixing chamber.

furnace, smclting 'al n: :Xn I' 3. An electrical iron smalti comprising a series of electa. chambers disposed around g chamber. each snieltiiig haring an air jacket space in rooi `nh means for delivering air into this roof air space and 9,5 for conveying it therefrom and delivering it into the smelting chambru', ineens for delivering ore to the sei .'al smel f cham bers, means for tapping the molten metal from each smelting chamber and delivering it into the central mixing chamber, and means for tapping the mining chamber,

l. An electrical iron smelting furnace, comprising a of electrical sn'ielting chambers disposed around a central init-:ing chan'iber, a conical. ore hopper suri'noiuiting the mixing chainl'ier, means for delivering the ore from the hopper into the several si'nelting chambers, means `for delivering heated air into each smelting chamber and for delivering the products ol. combustion from each chamber through the orc delivery chute, means for tapj' cli the se.y ing chambers and for `ivering the metal into the central mixing chamber, and

5. An electrical iron smelting furnace, comprising a series of electrical smelting chambers disposed around a central mixing chamber, means for delivering ore separately il() to each smelting chamber` means necting the carbon electrode.l of the smelting chambers to a electrical energy on the thi system, means i'or tapj i' sci )arateljvf from the l'iers, and for del chamber, and means io-r tapping the mining cnaniber.

An electrical iron smelting furnace, 120 comprising a series of electrical smelting chambers disposed around a central mixing chamber, the lateral walls of said smelting to their radial. 'middie lines, an ore heating chai cent smelting rfnninlm per supported erm ier, means for ucl hopper tc the iiuier chamber adjacent the level of the electrode ends, each 'smeltng chamber having an air space in its roof to the inner end of which external airis delivered and from the outer end of which the hezrted nir is delivered to the-furnace chamber, means for delivering the products of combustion in each furnace clinniber through its ore delivery, means for tapping each furnace chamber and for delivering the molten metal therefrom into the central mixing chamber, and means for tapping the central mixing chamber.

In testimony whereof I zix my slgnature.

JAMES D. SHIPTON. 

